


Metamorphic

by triptychings



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Slow Burn, also all other ships that aren't genyatta, characters will be added with new appearances, for now, will be background ships, you should cry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 15:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8332237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triptychings/pseuds/triptychings
Summary: In which 100% had a different ending, and everything is bad.





	

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ!!! This does have a slight AU to it. Well, less of an AU, and more of a very improbable canon. Reaper has returned to Overwatch, Hanzo has also joined, it's a thing where pretty much they're all part of Overwatch for one reason or another, and the recall was successful. It's very solid in my mind, but if there are any questions you have about it, leave a comment and I can address it in the next chapter. Also a forewarning that everything, including rating, is subject to change.

It happened so suddenly.

They were taking a walk. It was such a nice day, after all, and it was nice to get out. The sky was clear and the temperature even, and there were tiny petals drifting through the air. It really was a beautiful day, and the conversation was engaging.

Zenyatta was laughing when it happened. The first thing that happened was his voice. It began to glitch out, distorting, cracking, shifting to a repetition of zeroes and ones for just a moment. And then the total shutdown began. His voice shut off, a spark near his throat. The heavy metal clanked to the ground, the drop from his hovering position causing a dent to his frame. The lights on his faceplate were out. He was unresponsive. 

Zenyatta was unresponsive.

Zenyatta was down.

“Master!” Genji cried out immediately, in shock over seeing the omnic he respected so much crumple to the ground beside him. What did he need to do, what should he do? His mind was racing as he pulled the dead weight of Zenyatta’s body into his arms, feeling his chest heave heavily against his breastplate. 

Communicators, yes. That’s right. He placed his hand to the side of his head, finding the pad that activated the mobile communicators all Overwatch members were required to wear. He couldn’t find the right words, he couldn’t find any words. He took a breath, holding Zenyatta closer. A clear mind was the key to the door of life. Right. Focus.

“Zenyatta is down. Requesting assistance immediately.” 

Sometimes he forgot how quick his teammates were. Lena, Lucio, and Hanzo were there as he scooped Zenyatta up into his arms, before he even had a chance to stand.

“Oh God..” Lena breathed it out, freezing up, tears already welling in her eyes as an orb rolled to hit her shoe.

“Man, this is not good. Not good at all.” Lucio reacted a little better, picking a few of the orbs up, turning to Hanzo, who remained silent as he collected the rest. Again, Genji found himself at a loss for words, watching as Lucio rested a hand on Lena’s shoulder, and Hanzo looked around, searching for any threat, for a source. McCree was next, staring at how the omnic’s body laid limp in Genji’s arms. 

“Shit, you ain’t kiddin’.” 

Hanzo glared. “Help me look for the attacker.”

“You don’t--,” Lena paused, her hands shaking. “You don’t think it was Amelie, do ya? I mean, after Mondatta and all…” she shuddered. 

“I don’t see anyone, though… Doc, Jack, and Gabe are on their way.” McCree spoke quickly, quietly. He didn’t like the feeling of this. 

Genji still hadn’t said anything. He was too shocked at the heavy weight in his arms, at the lack of blue pulsing from Zenyatta’s faceplate. The omnic, the man who taught him how to love himself, who taught him how to love others; he was so strong in Genji’s eyes. This didn’t seem like reality.

“Gabe’s trying to get ahold of some old Talon contacts. What happened here?” Jack’s voice made Genji jump, and tighten his hold on Zenyatta. He cleared his throat only to get interrupted by Angela. “Let’s walk and talk, please. I need to get a look at him as soon as possible. I can’t do anything out here.”

Genji nodded, walking between the two, back towards the base. “Was it an attack? I don’t see any physical damage.” Jack didn’t really waste much time, and he didn’t have too much consideration for the obvious shock Genji was still in. He was brash, that was just how he is.

“No. There was nothing. I didn’t see anything, I didn’t hear anything. We were just talking and then… It was like a glitch, or something. I don’t know.” Genji’s hands were almost shaking as he lay Zenyatta down on the cot in Mercy’s office. There was a pause in the air, an awkward tension in the silence. Nobody moved. Angela was the one to break it.

“Genji, it might be best if you leave for now. Your feelings for Zenyatta will make it hard for me to evaluate him with you present, and it’ll affect you, as well.” She spoke softly, knowing Genji already wasn’t doing well.

“What are you saying?” His voice was low, and by the tone of his voice, Angela knew she was getting glared at.

“I’m asking you to leave. You’ll be kept updated, but you can’t be in here right now. Jack, you too. And send Satya in. She has some experience with things of this matter. Winston, too.”

\--

He couldn’t believe it. He had just been kicked out. Away from his master, his best friend, his--.

“Genji.”

Again, he was spooked. But this time it was his brother’s voice, not Jack’s. He glanced over his shoulder from his meditating position, seeing Hanzo and McCree, who both sat on either side of him, Hanzo offering a comforting hand on his shoulder. Not that he could feel it, but the sentiment was appreciated.  
“Did you find anything?” Genji mutter  
ed, grateful for his visor sheathing his expressions. He could put on a show all he wanted, but he couldn’t fool himself. He wasn’t handling this well. And he couldn’t fool the man he grew up beside, either. Hanzo let his hand fall back, McCree following his lead. It was a touchy subject, and neither of them were sure how to approach it. For starters, nobody knew any details of the bond between Genji and Zenyatta, beyond Zenyatta’s hand in helping Genji find inner peace and in his coming to terms with his modified body. 

Of course, there were speculations. 

“Genji… I have to ask. Your relations with Zenyatta, I mean, I know what he has done for you, but. Is it. Is it of the same matter of how I feel for Jesse?” Hanzo was stumbling over his words, embarrassed for having asked such a question. 

Genji tilted his head towards Hanzo. “What do you mean?”

McCree was doing all he could to stop from laughing. 

“What’s so funny?” Genji didn’t like being laughed at.

“I think what your brother means is. Are y’all fuckin’ or not?”

“Jesse!” Hanzo pushed McCree over, feeling his face growing red, to which the cowboy could only laugh at as he lay on his side, having caught himself from Hanzo’s shove. 

“McCree, if I hadn’t forgiven my brother and cared about his happiness, you would not be breathing right now.” Genji grumbled, unfolding his legs and letting them stretch out. “As for the nature of our relationship, it hasn’t been fully explored, I’ll leave it at that. I am forever indebted to him and he means a great deal to me. Now, McCree, judging by the colour of my brother’s face and the steam that seems to be rising off of him, you have a castration appointment, and I need some time to clear my thoughts. I want to keep my mind free for when Dr. Ziegler has results.” And that was it. He stood up and he walked off, leaving McCree victim to Hanzo’s nagging.

The nature of their relationship… Well, he wasn’t lying when he said it hadn’t been explored. And truthfully, he hadn’t thought about it too much. Everything just came so naturally. And he didn’t exactly have a great relationship streak before everything that happened, either. An impressive amount of notches on his bed post, though, yes. Ah, his misspent years. 

He digressed. Zenyatta. His master. His peer. His friend. His… maybe more? He wasn’t entirely sure of the exact capacity omnics had for emotions. He didn’t exactly care before, and it had just never came up. 

It was too late to ask now, though, wasn’t it? He laughed, a small, sad little laugh. What would Zenyatta say now, if he heard Genji’s thoughts? He’d tell him to stop being foolish, that he’s thinking about something too material, and that he’d become obsessed, how it would ruin his mind. Zenyatta would be disappointed. 

“You two, slow down! That’s not fair, you guys are cheating!”

“We’re not cheating, Hana, you're just slacking!”

Sometimes Genji was amazed how causal Lucio and Hana could be, even in such a dire situation. They did look worried though, as they and Lena circled around him. He couldn't even get a moment of isolation, could he? He get that they were worried about him, but still… 

“So there wasn't any gunshot, right?” Lena tried to swallow the thick lump in her throat. She would blame herself if it was Amelie again. And for Zenyatta to go in the same way that his brother did would break her heart. 

Genji shook his head, lowering his visor. If his teammates insisted on pestering him, he might as well be polite about it. And he was only comfortable with his teammates seeing the scars that covered his face. They didn't care. They saw him for himself. Not the cybernetics, not the scars, or the LEDs, or the cold steel. For himself.

“It seemed to be something internal.” Genji confirmed, not letting Lena’s sigh of relief ease his discomfort at all.

“That's really weird. Didn't all of the AIs that could control omnics get destroyed? What were they called- god programs? Didn't Fareeha personally take care of the Anubis AI?” Hana was pretty curious now, pushing some hair behind her ear as she leaned on Lucio.

“I believe so, yes.” Genji frowned, which Lena didn't like much, and she threw her arms around his middle, hugging him tight. “It'll be okay, luv! Zenyatta’s amazing, he'll be okay!”

“Can omnics even die? Does anybody know?” Lucio didn't mean to say that out loud and worry Genji even more, but he did.

“They can.” Hana spoke simply, remembering back home, and how she originally got into combat. It was quiet for a moment. “But it's less of a killed and more of a broken past repair kind of thing.”

“And you don’t think it was the Anubis AI?” Lena was fidgeting, becoming uncomfortable with all of the sorrowful talk. 

“No,” Fareeha’s voice joined the mix as she walked up, “that’s impossible. Anubis is gone. I saw it’s destruction myself.”

Genji was growing tired, and irritated. All this talking was nothing but speculation, Angela hadn’t returned with any results yet, anyways. Talking about it wasn’t doing anything, it wasn’t going to help Zenyatta recover, there was nothing they could do. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to meditate on what had happened and block everything out until they had results, answers, anything. He would take anything. But this? This was just a waste of time. 

“As much as I appreciate the efforts, I think I am going to leave now. I need time to meditate on what has happened, and would like some time alone. I do not want to be interrupted, unless it is by Dr. Ziegler. I hope you can all understand.” Genji replaced his visor, sheathing the shock as they all turned to look at him, guilt soaked into their expressions. They all felt awful.

“I hope you feel better, Genji.” he heard Lena’s voice as he started to walk away, ignoring the sympathetic faces shown to him by Mei and Ana on his way back to his dorm. He didn’t need their pity. He needed answers. Again, he couldn’t help but notice that he would be disappointing Zenyatta, had he insight to Genji’s thoughts. He was growing angry, he was filling with rage, instead of taking a cool, calm approach. His mind couldn’t clear, and after removing the visor and the rest of his helmet, he simply focused on the mirror, looking over the cords that kept his brain working, after the damage it had sustained. He removed the chest plate and saw the scarred, grafted skin. He focused on all he had been through, and how he pulled through. And how Zenyatta was stronger than him, and could also pull through. He removed the rest of his armor, leaving him vulnerable, with tubes and cables exposed. He had accepted this. He remembered the anger and hatred looking at himself, his scarred and modified body, and how foreign the feeling would be now. If Zenyatta were gone, would that hatred become a familiar adversary again? He would never forgive himself, surely. Would he be plagued with the same disrupt that haunted his brother? 

There was a knock on the door. He jumped to answer it, but quickly remembered his lack of covering once he felt the cold of the doorknob against his hand. 

“A moment, please.”

He didn’t bother with the handpiece, or his visor. Again, he knew his teammates didn’t care, and didn’t see the scars. Especially not the man with more than Genji, who was right outside his door.

“Gabe. What is it? Did Dr. Ziegler find something?” Genji stared into the bone white mask, brown eyes wide in fear and anticipation.

“No. I did.” Gabe paused, wanting to pity the young ninja, but finding himself unable to find the right emotions. 

Gabe’s tone struck fear right to Genji’s core. It was grave, even more so than usual. He swallowed roughly, trying to push down the emotions rising in his throat. “What did you find?”

“It’s Sombra.”

**Author's Note:**

> I want to get on a regular schedule with this, but I don't know yet. The next chapter shouldn't be too long, especially since I'm ahead on the Major Arcana series and I'm going to set up a regular schedule with that one. Feedback is super appreciated, I haven't written anything like this in a long time and could use all the advice I can get.


End file.
